Im back again to review dinner at Via Napoli!
I will start by saying this
Eric and I are each part Italian, I cook Italian food at home all the time, Im a total pizza snob (Brooklyn pizza baby!!!), Eric is a semi-pizza snob (hes not quite as picky as I am), and we have some of the best Italian restaurants here in NY. We usually do not go to Italian restaurants on vacation because we have so much Italian food here, and we like it a certain way. However, a colleague of mine had gone to WDW during Thanksgiving weekend 2011 and ate at Via Napoli, with her father who is from Italy. They both thought it was excellent and recommended it. So I went ahead and trusted her. Eric knows her too and trusts her judgment.
That said, lets get down to business!
We had a 6pm ADR for Via Napoli. I had read the menu several times before the trip (of course!), and read some reviews
so I knew I wanted to try the pizza here. I knew it would not be like the NY pizza Im accustomed to, but more like pizza from Italy. I was fine with this (pizza in Italy is also delicious!). The boys love just about any pizza, and they also enjoy spaghetti and meatballs. Jonathan was still off dairy (because he was sick the night before), so I explained to him before we went that he couldnt have pizza, but they had spaghetti and meatballs. He prefers his pasta without sauce, so this was easy for him. He was excited for this.
When we entered, I spoke to the hostess in Italian. The lady that seated us thought my family was from Tuscany because of the way I spoke Italian. Its not that case, just that when I learned Italian in school, I learned standard Italian which is technically Tuscan dialect. The family is actually from way up in northern Italy, bordering Austria. I spoke to everyone in Italian, the waiter, the busboy
and it was a lot of fun! They were speaking in English a lot though
I guess they need to keep up on it. It didnt matter
we had a great time talking to them, and I got to reminisce about my trip to Rome and Florence with my sister in college (same trip as when we went to France).
The waiter sent the chef over right away to discuss Philips allergy and she was very nice. I told her that he would order either the pizza or spaghetti and meatballs from the kids menu and she said both of those are fine for him. She said if we need anything to have the waiter come get her and she will come over right away.
I was in the mood for a drink, and came close to just ordering a glass of Prosecco (I love the stuff!), but instead I got a Bellini, which is Prosecco (sparkling wine) with peach puree in it. It was delicious! Light, crisp and refreshing, just as a Bellini should be. Eric asked for the red sangria, but the waiter suggested the white sangria instead, as it is a nice, refreshing light sangria and great in the summer time. Eric took his advice and did not regret it. We both enjoyed our drinks.
We browsed the menu, and decided we would share a large pizza (supposed to feed 2-3 guests). We didnt want just plain pizza, so we ordered pizza capricciosa, which had ham, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and eggplant on it. It was huge! Definitely could have fed 3 adults in my opinion. The pizza had a thin crust that had just enough crispiness to it without breaking, and was chewy in just the right way. Being thin, it was not doughy, and I liked that. The sauce was very authentic for sure. And the pizza was not loaded down with sauce. I dont like when places pile on the sauce. There is not supposed to be a puddle of sauce
just the right amount was on this pizza for flavor and texture. The mozzarella was fresh as can be, but it melted correctly. Sometimes fresh mozzarella melts but then solidifies so quickly that it has an unpleasant, plastic-like texture. Not the case here
perfectly delicious mozzarella, but not the processed kind. The toppings were fresh and excellent quality. Ham was not too salty, fresh mushrooms and artichokes were used, and the eggplant was soft and delicious despite it not being breaded and deep-fried, and it did not have too many seeds. No bitter taste to the eggplant either. This pizza was absolutely delicious! The best I have ever tasted outside of NYC for certain! It actually reminds me of Lombardis in Little Italy in Manhattan
it was the first pizzeria in America and their pizza is the same style as Via Napoli was. Heres a nice pic of it:
The boys both got spaghetti without sauce, with meatballs on the side. They both enjoyed it very much. Jonathan was happy to have some meat for the first time that day. He was also fine after eating this. Heres a pic of Philips:
When we first sat down, Eric and I decided that we were definitely getting dessert here, so we resisted from ordering appetizers. We knew if we did, we would be too stuffed to eat dessert. Erics favorite dessert in the world is tiramisu. When we go to our favorite Italian restaurant here, he always orders tiramisu and espresso. And so he did the same at Via Napoli. The waiter brought him sugar, and Eric told him he didnt need it. The waiter was impressed because he said usually people ask for it with espresso. Not my Eric
he drinks it straight! When Eric took his first bite of tiramisu, he was in heaven. He said it is just as good as our favorite Italian restaurant makes it, and he has never said that about any tiramisu except mine. I was glad he wasnt disappointed. Heres a pic of his dessert:
I also love tiramisu, but I instead opted for the zeppole dessert. Zeppole are fried dough with powdered sugar. They are very popular here in NY at the street fairs, like the San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy. They are best when they are fried fresh, placed in a brown paper bag with some powdered sugar and shaken up so that they get coated with the sugar. Then you walk around at the Feast, play some carnival type games, enjoy some entertainment, etc. This is of course after eating a big hero sandwich (a.k.a. a sub, a po boy, hoagie or grinder depending on where you are from). At Via Napoli, the zeppole were delicious. They make them small which I liked, since they were crispy. But they werent greasy. They add a little bit of powdered sugar, but they also give you a side of this heavenly chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream to dip them. This was an amazing dessert, and a great way to eat zeppole. A lot less messy than tons of powdered sugar too! Heres a pic:
Philip ordered a gelato sundae from the kids menu. He loved it and ate it all up.
I had told the hostess and the waiter that we were celebrating Jonathans pre-k graduation. The waiter said they would do something special. I know at WDW that usually means a cupcake, and I know those have dairy in them. But I wanted to keep him off dairy that day so his tummy would be OK. So I asked to talk to the chef again and she came right over. I told her that Jonathan, though not allergic to dairy, had some tummy troubles and we wanted to know if there was a dessert without any dairy. They had both brownies and sugar cookies without dairy (also gluten-free for those of you who follow a gluten-free diet and like desserts
its great that they have 2 options). I asked for sugar cookies, but the waiter ended up bringing him a brownie
this was fine, no problem. The waiter also double checked with me that Jonathan was OK because there could be traces of dairy in his dinner because of cross contamination in the kitchen, but I explained to him the same thing I told the chef. When he brought out the brownie, he also brought a few people with him, and lit a candle in the brownie. They sang a song to Jonathan in Italian, Tanti auguri a te (literally means Best wishes to you). This is the song they sing for someones birthday, and it is sung to the tune of Happy Birthday but they sang it to him for his graduation. He was so happy!
We all enjoyed the dinner at Via Napoli, and we would definitely return. I love Epcot so much because I can speak Italian in Italy, Spanish in Mexico, and I love meeting people from different countries. Its very interesting to talk to them and they love it when you ask them questions about their country.
This meal cost us $100.11 including tax and gratuity, after the TiW discount was applied. We saved $15.40 on food and $4.00 on drinks for this meal. This dinner was worth every penny, from the outstanding service to the excellent food. When I return to work in a couple of weeks, I am excited to tell my colleague that her recommendation was terrific and how much all 4 of us enjoyed it at Via Napoli. The place is beautiful, feels like some of the restaurants in Italy, CMs are very warm and friendly, and the food is amazing. I would recommend it to anyone!
Up next
Hollywood & Vine character lunch
why does this place get such bad reviews all the time?
Stay tuned for a positive one!
Take a look at both of my reviews above, but yes it is a very tough decision.
I mean, I don't eat them often at all but when I do, it's only in NY. On vacation I would rather eat other things. And yes, sauce! I make my own and it's hard not to be picky. I guess we are spoiled here with these things. But one thing I love about going down south is the fresh pecans in Georgia! Can't get anything but packaged ones here and they just aren't nearly as good as the ones down south. I also have a friend who is originally from southern California and she can't find a Mexican restaurant in NY that lives up to her standards...and she has been here for years already! Every region has its specialties, and when they try to make it outside that region, it's never exactly the same or as good in my opinion.
It ended up being very nice and it's great to have the memories...it was when Jonathan was born so Philip was in it too and he was only 2 years old! We love watching it together. 
I can pretend it is!
Every time I think I know what I'm going to eat at these places, a fantastic review comes along and changes my mind. 
I think I'm going to start ordering them in bulk as well! I feel like I've been set free from my lactose intolerant chains. 
You must be so excited...you must be even more excited that you can enjoy a Mickey bar or 4 on your trip! 
